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The American Medical Association wants the food instrustry to reduce the amount of sodium in processed foods by at least 50 percent and and wants the Food and Drug Administration to place warning labels on foods that are high in salt. According to an article at cnn.com:

On a voice vote, AMA
delegates adopted the policy at their five-day annual meeting, which
ends Wednesday. Getting the food industry to gradually reduce sodium
content in foods by at least half over the next decade is the goal of
the new policy.

The policy also calls for the AMA to ask the FDA
to revoke the "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) status of salt. . . . .

The American Heart Association recommends limiting sodium intake to
less than 2,300 milligrams daily, or less than about one teaspoon, but
the average daily intake among U.S. adults is nearly double that
amount, the report said.

The AMA report said there is
overwhelming evidence that excessive sodium intake is a risk factor for
hypertension and may be an independent risk factor for other
cardiovascular problems.

More than 30 percent of U.S. adults have high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease is the nation's leading cause of death.

For an overview of some of the other policy positions the AMA adopted at its annual conference, including increasing mental health services on college campuses, promoting new methods to increase organ donation, and a temporary moratorium on direct-to-consumer advertising on new prescription drugs, click here. [bm]